Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), three or more pregnancy losses prior to 20 weeks, occurs in about 1% of all pregnancies, 50% of RSA cases remain unexplained and unresolved. Recently, immune pathways have been implicated in the pathophysiology of RSA. Immune tolerance of the fetal-placental unit and placental angiogenesis are mandatory ...

The immune system of pregnant women is tightly controlled to defend against microbial infections and at the same time, to accept an embryo or the fetus, which are expressing semi-allogenic paternal antigens. Furthermore, inflammation-like processes are crucial for tissue growth, remodeling, and differentiation of the decidua during pregnancy. Dysregulation of ...

To compare the fetal cerebellum and cisterna magna length measurements by means of two- (2DUS) and three-dimensional (3DUS) ultrasonography using the three-dimensional extended imaging (3D XI), a cross-sectional study with 69 healthy pregnant women between 18 and 24 weeks was performed. For the measurements by 2DUS, the axial planes were ...

Caesarean scar pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy. The authors present a 24-year-old woman 5 weeks after her last menstrual period. She had a history of a single caesarean section which was followed by a normal vaginal delivery. Ultrasound imaging revealed a pregnancy in her lower segment caesarean ...

Significant progress has been made in our understanding of the biochemical, physiological and nutritional aspects of the water-soluble vitamin biotin (vitamin H). It is well know now that biotin plays important roles in a variety of critical metabolic reactions in the cell, and thus, is essential for normal human health, ...

In the present study, we assessed the treatment effects of PBDE-209 administration on the immune function in rats during pregnancy and lactation. We harvested the blood and organs for flow cytometry, viability assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and histological evaluation. The results of this study were the PBDE-209 exposure during pregnancy ...

The maternal tract plays a critical role in the success of early embryonic development providing an optimal environment for establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Preparation of this environment requires an intimate dialogue between the embryo and her mother. However, many intriguing aspects remain unknown in this unique communication system. To ...

Uterine artery undergoes structural modifications at different physiologic states. It is expected that due to its unique course, hemodynamic stresses in the vessel would vary resulting in differences in arterial dimensions. The objective of this study was to investigate regional morphometric changes in the human uterine artery. Twenty four uterine ...

Pregnancy is a unique immunological state in which a balance of immune tolerance and suppression is needed to protect the fetus without compromising the mother. It has long been established that a bias from the T helper 1 cytokine profile towards the T helper 2 profile contributes towards successful pregnancy ...

The immunologic interaction between the fetus and the mother is a paradoxical communication that is regulated by fetal antigen presentation and/or by recognition of and reaction to these antigens by the maternal immune system. There have been significant advances in understanding of abnormalities in the maternal-fetal immunologic relationship in the ...

Implantation of an embryo occurs during the mid-secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, known as the "implantation window." During this implantation period, there are significant morphologic and functional changes in the endometrium, which is followed by decidualization. Many immune cells, such as dendritic and natural killer (NK) cells, increase in ...

Our previous work suggests that stressors that impact placental vascular growth result in a deformed chorionic surface shape, which reflects an abnormal placental three-dimensional shape. We propose to use variability of placental disk thickness as a reflector of deviations in placental vascular growth at the finer level of the fetal ...

We report two cases of women with a previous cesarean performed before active labor at 29 weeks of gestation who underwent sonographic measurement of the lower uterine segment (LUS) at 36 weeks' gestation in their subsequent pregnancy. In both cases, uterine scar defect was detected on the upper part of ...

Summary The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and success rates of single- and two-dose methotrexate (MTX) protocols for the treatment of unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy. This retrospective study included 87 patients with ectopic pregnancy who were treated with MTX therapy (single-dose protocol: 46 patients; two-dose protocol: ...

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect on the fetal development of high doses of prescription drugs taken as a suicide attempt during pregnancy. Pregnant women were identified among self-poisoned females in the toxicological inpatient clinic in Budapest between 1960 and 1993. Congenital abnormalities, intrauterine development based ...

Objective. The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy- and live birth rates in poor responders when transferring one or two embryos. Poor responders were defined as having four or less oocytes retrieved in combination with a high dose of gonadotrophins. Design. Retrospective, observational study. Setting. Reproductive Medicine, University ...

The optimal approach for venous thrombosis (VTE) prophylaxis during pregnancy and postpartum in women with an increased risk of VTE is not established. To evaluate the effectiveness, represented as the incidence of pregnancy-related VTE, and safety, represented as incidence of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), of a protocol recommending prophylaxis with low-dose ...

: To determine the effectiveness and safety of repeated precoital and postcoital use of levonorgestrel for pregnancy prevention. : We searched eight computerized databases for studies that evaluated oral hormones taken for contraception immediately before or after each coital act during one or more menstrual cycles. We reviewed reference lists ...

Intrafollicular insemination (IFI) is based on direct introduction of a sperm suspension into a preovulatory follicle. To our knowledge, the first cases of IFI resulting in pregnancy of the cow are reported here. The experiment was performed on a dairy herd with low fertility during the warm season of the ...

The efficiency of malaria prevention during pregnancy was compared between three studies in Benin for malaria infection of the placenta (MIP) and low birth weight (LBW). The first was carried out when chloroquine prophylaxis was still recommended, the second was an intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) clinical trial comparing ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the contraceptive efficacy of a low-dose combined oral contraceptive containing ethinyloestradiol (EE) 20μg/drospirenone (drsp) 3mg administered for 24 days followed by a four-day hormone-free interval (24/4 regimen), by pooling data from four clinical trials. STUDY DESIGN: Data on the occurrence of pregnancy during treatment in four open-label ...

This case-control study evaluated the effect of hysteroscopically identified endometrial polyps on endometrium by means of HOXA10 and HOXA11, known molecular markers of endometrial receptivity. Uteri with endometrial polyps demonstrated a marked decrease in HOXA10 and HOXA11 messenger RNA levels, which may impair implantation. These findings suggest a molecular mechanism ...

The effect of cetrorelix given in the early implantation period on rat pregnancy was investigated. Forty-nine virgin Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into six groups. At the 4th or 8th days of sperm plug, groups received 15, 75, 150 μg/kg cetrorelix or saline. Three subjects were randomly selected from each group ...

Results from epidemiological studies exploring the association between childhood lymphoma and maternal smoking during pregnancy have been contradictory. This meta-analysis included all published cohort (n=2) and case-control (n=10) articles; among the latter, the data of the Greek Nationwide Registry for Childhood Hematological Malignancies (NARECHEM) study was updated to include all ...

Ulipristal acetate (UPA), a selective progesterone receptor modulator, when taken as a single 30-mg dose, is safe and effective for emergency contraception up to 5 days (120 h) following unprotected intercourse. This indication has been approved in Europe since May 2009 and was approved by the US FDA in August ...

Giant choriangiomas are rare placental tumours, associated with a high prevalence of pregnancy complications and a poor perinatal outcome. Neonatal consequences include severe microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopaenia and hydrops. The associated high perinatal death rate (30-40%) has led to a number of prenatal therapeutic interventions with limited success in most ...

We analysed the results of insemination (AI) with 2.2 million X-chromosome-bearing frozen-thawed sperm in 2283 Estonian Holstein (EHF) heifers on 7 dairy herds. The heifers of 11 to 18 months of age were inseminated with sexed sperm or unsexed control semen doses (15×10(6) sperm) from 10 different bulls either 1) ...

hMG and recombinant FSH, have both been used successfully for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). To compare the effectiveness of hMG with rFSH in ovarian stimulation protocols in IVF or ICSI treatment cycles. We searched the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group trials register ...

In many malaria-endemic countries, increasing resistance may soon compromise the efficacy of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventative treatment (IPT) of malaria in pregnancy. Artemisinin-based IPT regimens represent a promising potential alternative to SP. Pharmacokinetic and safety data supporting the use of artemisinin derivatives in pregnancy are urgently needed. Subjects included ...

Evidence for an association between exposure during pregnancy to trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water and impaired fetal growth is still inconsistent and inconclusive, in particular, for various exposure routes. We examined the relationship of individual exposures to THMs in drinking water on low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age ...

Studies that explore the controversial association between parity and anaemia-in-pregnancy (AIP) were often hampered by not distinguishing incident cases caused by pregnancy from prevalent cases complicated by pregnancy. The authors' aim in conducting this study was to overcome this methodological concern. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Oman on ...

Globally syphilis is an important yet preventable cause of stillbirth, neonatal mortality and morbidity. This review sought to estimate the effect of detection and treatment of active syphilis in pregnancy with at least 2.4 MU benzathine penicillin (or equivalent) on syphilis-related stillbirths and neonatal mortality. We conducted a systematic literature ...

Stallion semen processing is far from standardized and differs substantially between AI centers. Suboptimal pregnancy rates in equine AI may primarily result from breeding with low quality semen not adequately processed for shipment. It was the aim of the study to evaluate quality and fertility of cooled-shipped equine semen provided ...

To evaluate the in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes after high initial doses of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in patients with poor ovarian reserve. For in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients younger than 40 years of age, 345 cycles were examined from April 2003 to April 2007. As a ...

The combined dose response effects of pregnancy cigarette smoke exposure on childhood overweight, obesity and short stature have not been reported. A community based cross-sectional survey of 3038 children aged 5-11 years from 15 primary schools in Merseyside, UK. Self-completed parental questionnaires were used for family characteristics, socio-economic status and ...

Some stallions produce ejaculates of low quality and/or low fertility when used for artificial insemination (AI). The purpose of these five case studies was to use Single Layer Centrifugation (SLC) to select the best spermatozoa from 'problem' ejaculates for subsequent use in AI. Sperm quality, in terms of motility, morphology ...

Radiation protection of pregnant workers and their offspring is an issue that has been referenced in the literature by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international institutions. Several documents of the ICRP address the issue of the protection of the pregnant ...

To report clinical cases of autoimmune progesterone (P) dermatitis, its relationship to IVF, and the potential for P desensitization to treat these cases to achieve viable pregnancies. Clinical description. Institutional hospitalary practice. Allergy Division. Six patients from the Allergy Clinic consulting for cyclic rashes or anaphylaxis related to the luteal ...

Data were analysed retrospectively from fourteen breeding seasons at an Equine Fertility Clinic for the effect of interval between pre- and postovulatory examinations for immediate postovulatory insemination on pregnancy rate (PR) and embryo loss rate (ELR). Mares of various breeds and ages were examined at intervals which varied from 0.5 ...

To determine the optimal timing of delivery in pregnancies with pre-existing (chronic) hypertension by quantifying the gestational age-specific risks of stillbirth associated with ongoing pregnancy and the gestational age-specific risks of neonatal mortality or serious neonatal morbidity following the induction of labour. Population-based cohort study. USA. A total of 171 ...

Fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) resulting from fetal platelet destruction by maternal alloantibodies is the most common cause of severe fetal thrombocytopenia and of neonatal thrombocytopenia in maternity wards. The pathophysiology is largely unknown. The fetus has long been considered as an "innocent bystander."

Part of three systematic reviews on the effects of psychotropic medication exposure in pregnancy, this paper critically reviews the literature on adverse effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy, and derives recommendations for clinical practice. Electronic databases were searched for original research studies examining the effects of gestational exposure to antidepressants ...

Serum levels of TSH receptor antibody (TRAb) often increase after radioiodine treatment for Graves' disease, and high-serum levels of maternal TRAb in late pregnancy indicate a risk of neonatal hyperthyroidism. The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate the characteristics of Graves' women who had a history of radioiodine ...

Pharmacokinetics of melamine has not been studied in pregnancies despite of the many reports on the effect on renal damage in adult and neonates. In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats have been used as a model to study the single-dose effect of melamine administration in late pregnancy and in neonates within ...

BACKGROUND: The drug ketamine is frequently abused for recreational use in Asia, but few studies in humans have focused on the effects of ketamine exposure during pregnancy on the health of neonates. Here, we report a neonate whose mother was suspected of ketamine abuse during pregnancy. The case was confirmed ...